Information Technology Services

IT Services

Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer displays the structure of files, folders, and drives on your computer. It also shows any network drives that have access to. Using Windows Explorer, you can copy, move, rename, and search for files and folders.

On the left side of the Windows Explorer window is the Navigation pane. Items in the Navigation pane can include folders such as Downloads; the Favorites list; the Windows 7 libraries (Documents and Music); and other drives on your computer.

The “breadcrumb” Navigation bar can be used to move around. Click the wedges at the top of the Windows Explorer window to select from available folders.

Windows 7 lacks the Up One Level folder button found in Windows XP. However, you can usually go up one level in Windows 7 by holding down the Alt key and pressing the up arrow. Also, the folder one level up normally appears in the "breadcrumb" at the top, so you can just click it there.

If you click a file or folder once, details for it appear in the Details box at the bottom of the Windows Explorer window.

Most of the actions you might want to perform are listed in the Command bar. Many other actions are accessible by right-clicking the file or folder.

If you click Alt, Windows Explorer shows you the old menu bar (File, Edit, View, Tools, Help) from previous versions of Windows with dozens of functions tucked away.

To change the Display options for items in Windows Explorer, click the Views button to see the various options.

The Preview pane will display previews of files before you open them. Select a file to see the preview.